


The Last Straw

by brangelina_of_the_gallaghers



Series: The Last Straw [1]
Category: Lovely Little Losers
Genre: Confrontations, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Music, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 04:54:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5484176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brangelina_of_the_gallaghers/pseuds/brangelina_of_the_gallaghers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Freddie and Ben are fed up of walking in on Peter with girls and guys so they introduced 'the rules'.<br/>However, they weren't expecting to walk in on their flatmates in bed together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Issue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm new to the fandom but have watched every video in quick succession in the past few days so I think I know about all things LLL and NMTD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't get enough of these characters so decided to write a fanfic for my new OTP.

Peter came crashing through the door, girl in tow, and pulled said girl down onto him on the couch. Freddie, who was sat on the couch quickly shifted out the way. "What the fuck, Peter? Get out!" Without looking away from the girl or separating their lips, Peter pushed up and led her to his bedroom. 

The couple weren't even trying to be quiet as Peter repeatedly slammed into her, the headboard shaking and banging against the wall. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." She complained. 

"I know. It's like a new person every night." Ben added. 

"We need to talk to him."

"I don't want to end up arguing."

"What do you think Stan?" The ginger asked. 

"I don't know." He muttered, barely audible. "He's having fun. Why should we stop him?" A blush rose on his cheeks. "I doesn't really involve us, does it?"

"We're all in this together." Freddie laughed. "Who he has sex with affects us all."

"Does it though?" Balthazar said quietly.

"I don't want to hear it. Do you?"

"Of course not but I don't want to stop him if he's having fun."

"Balthy, stop being so nice. You're allowed to have an opinion."

"I know. I know."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. I'll leave it to you." Balthazar said as he rose from where he was sitting on the floor and headed through to his own bedroom. He couldn't take the sounds of his best friend 'having fun' anymore. Envy filled his veins every time Peter brought someone home with him but he'd obviously never admit it. 

Of course Ben had worked it out. He'd worked it out years ago - before he even knew Peter was bisexual - and he wasn't being too subtle about the fact he knew. Peter must have known too by now given Ben's not so subtle hints. Tension between the two of them had been rising since the events at the apology party and it was bound to explode at some point soon. Balthazar just hoped he could keep their friendship going for as long as possible. 

He stripped down and climbed into bed, reaching for his iPod and putting his headphones in. He buried his head under his pillow and let Mumford and Sons lull him to sleep.

* * *

The following morning he found the girl from the night before doing the walk of shame. With a sigh he walked straight to the kitchen to make coffee for two. He knocked on Peter's bedroom door once the drinks were made, coffee and painkillers in hand as he let himself in. Peter was half naked and curled up in the middle of his bed with the sheets crumpled around him. 

"Pete." Balthazar shook him awake. "Come on, get up."

"Fuck off." He swotted his friend away. 

"No. Get up." 

Peter swung his arm again and caught Balthazar with more power than intended, causing him to fall down on top of him on the bed. The awkward fall brought their heads close together, Peter's alcoholic breath being shared with Balthazar's own minty fresh breath. "Shit, sorry." Balthazar pulled himself up with a jerk once he realised they'd made intense eye-contact. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." He repeated. 

"Balthy, it's fine." Peter sat up. 

"I know. I know. Just- sorry-"

"Shut up." A large smile grew on Peter's face. "Dork."

Balthazar smiled too. "I know."

"Doesn't matter, right? We're cool."

"Yeah." Balth dismissed. He quickly left the room to smother himself with his own pillow and stay away from the love of his life for a while. 

* * *

Noon came and Balthazar had not surfaced so Freddie took it upon herself to help herself into his room and check on him. "Stan? Everything okay?"

The boy was laying on his bed, strumming an air guitar with his headphones in and his eyes shut. "Stan." She pulled the headphones out. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He mumbled.

"That's a blatant lie. What's wrong?" She repeated. 

"Just don't feel well. I like being alone."

"It's Peter, isn't it?"

"What- no- why- why would you say that?" His cheeks reddened. 

"He's annoying all of us. I understand."

His face lightened at the naivety of his flatmate. "Yeah. Yeah. He's just so irritating. I want to stay away for a bit."

"Alright. You going to come out here once he's gone out so we can work out what we're going to do about him?"

"Yeah. Sure. I'll come out soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started LLL again when writing this.


	2. The Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically the transcript from THE RULES but I altered them slightly - fairly insignificant chapter given everyone knows what the rules are.

"Peter! Get in here!" Freddie shouted from the living room.

"Why?" He shouted back from his bedroom.

"Just do as I say!"

"Fucking fine." He sighed as he entered a room filled with all his flat mates. "Flat meeting?"

"Yeah."

"Is this about the sex?" He asked in a warning tone.

"No. Well, yes but not completely. Just sit down."

The blonde collapsed down on the sofa, making a point of being unhappy about the impromptu meeting.

“Ben, Stan and I have been thinking and we’ve discussed some things that should be changed. For instance, it sucks that Balth always has to cook for himself when we often share meals so we’re all going vegetarian. It’s a hell of a lot cheaper and healthier.”

Balthazar gave a smug smile - just like the cat that got the cheese.

“Can we have one day a week where we eat meat, like Friday?” Peter tried to reason.

“Okay. How else can we improve the flat?”

“The flat’s fine.”

“That was a rhetorical question Peter!”

“Pete, we’ve been thinking. It would be nice to do regular things together as a flat.” Ben contributed. 

“Why can’t it just be casual?”

“Because you’re never here!” Freddie snapped.

“We need to be a proper team. Like proper challenges and epic dares.” A large grin grew on Ben's face. 

“This is not a democracy, this is a dictatorship.” Peter argued. 

“I’m tough but fair." She said almost dismissively. "Next, stick to the original rules, AKA the chores.”

“But you decided those rules, not us.” Peter argued.

“Pete, every flat has chores. It just makes sense. What, you afraid of cleaning the shower or something?”

“Fuck off. I would literally do any other job.” He hid his blush with the harsh tone.

“You can switch with me if you like. I don’t mind a few spiders.” Balthazar selflessly voiced. 

"What was yours?" 

"Taking out the trash." 

"Great, thanks." Peter caught Balthazar's eye with a genuine smile. 

Freddie broke their moment. “Okay. I’m establishing a curfew. Between the hours of 10pm and 7am no one can enter and leave the flat."

"Ah, what about work?"

"Aside from work, study and any extra-curricular activities, no one can leave the flat after 10pm. If you break the rules, you get punished.”

“Punished? What does getting punished even mean exactly?” Peter asked.

“We’ll devise the punishment as necessary.” Her stern look shut the boy up. "The next is-”

Ben interrupted, feeling he wasn't engaging enough. “No dating. Let me rephrase that. Nothing close to dating. No flirting or flings or casual make out sessions. No hand holding. No flatmates lips are to touch anyone else’s lips. No overly prolonged hugs and no snuggling.”

“Okay let’s that narrow that down to the no romantic relationships rule. AKA no kissing or other sexy things. We all know what that means, right?" Freddie concluded, obviously targeting Peter.

“No shenanigans rule.” Ben added.

“These are ridiculous.” Peter said with a deep exhale.

“We’re just trying to make the flat a nicer place to live in. If you don’t want to abide by them then leave.” The ginger threatened.

“You’re kicking me out?" He began to stand up.

"No she’s not. We’re a team.” Ben pushed him back down.

“How can you tell if people are sticking to the rules?” Balthazar said from where he was sat being his usual quiet self. 

“I’ll be filming everything.” Ben said with a grin.

“That is a terrible idea.” Freddie argued only to be ignored.

“What about when we’re not here?” Balthazar continued, unsure where all these rules left his crush on Peter.

“The rules only apply in the flat?” Peter asked.

“No no no, the rules apply everywhere.” Fred was quick to announce.

“I have complete control over all the footage. That’s a rule. I get to upload anything I like, alright? Anyone who breaks the rules i will find a way to punish them and publicise it.” Ben said eagerly.

There was an awkward silence whilst Freddie grabbed a paper and pen to write the rules down. 

“Okay,” She recapped, “so, 1) stick to the budget, 2) vegetarianism except for on Fridays, 3) flat bonding, 4) stick to Freddie's original rules, 5) no romantic relationships, 6) curfew between 10pm and 7am, 7) Ben controls all footage and is allowed to film everything. Subclauses: there _will_  be punishments and the rules apply everywhere.”

Peter eyed up Ben. “You look pleased with yourself.”

“Yeah, I am.”

“You realise you have to sign this too?” He asked. 

“I suppose you’re alluding to rule number five and my long distance, happy relationship that doesn’t need to be tangled in and more conceit from you, _Peter_. This doesn’t apply to me.”

“Why wouldn’t it apply to you?”

Ben hesitated. “There’s fine print you see.” He finally said. “All relationships that began before 2015 are exempt from flat punishments.“

“It doesn’t and what would that mean? That I can re-date people I dated in the past. Unlike you I’ve still got options.”

“And unlike you I’m in a happy, stable relationships.”

“Ben you have to sign. You’re not some objective third party in this.” Freddie added. 

“Is there some sort of compromise? Balthazar ebbed in, always looking to please everyone.

“No! It barely even affects you, she’s not here you can’t be romantic.” Freddie reasoned with her not-so-smug-now-looking friend. 

“There’s no way I’m signing this if you’re not.” Peter raised his voice.

“Make your decision right now or I’ll throw that thing out the window.” The camera was soon in Freddie's hands.

“Freddie you don’t have to sacrifice your own camera.” Balthazar reasoned.

“What- what if I make the wrong decision?” Ben panicked.

“You know there’s only one right decision here.”

“Are we doing this or not?” Peter sighed.

“Okay! Alright! Sorry! Just give me the camera back!" He took the precious item and looked directly into the lens. "I’m sorry Beatrice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to upload this yesterday but I became busy. I hope people are dealing with the finality of LLL.


	3. The Relapse

There was a bang and the sound of the chair by the table screeching across the floor. The only flatmate that was home, Balthazar, ran to his bedroom door to see what was wrong. Much to his hatred, he was greeted by the sight of his best friend pushing some random guy up against the very table they eat on daily. For a second he just stood, stunned by the scene in front of him, then when he realised he was basically watching the start of a porno, he retreated back into his room and put his headphones in. 

The following morning Bathazar left his bedroom and discovered Peter asleep on the couch. As he normally did when Peter had a hangover, he walked through to the kitchen and poured a glass of water before going through to the bathroom and getting some painkillers. He placed them both on the coffee table and stood and watched his friend sleep for a bit. The next thing he knew Freddie and Ben were stood behind him and he left as fast as he could.

"We need to do something about Petely." Ben said once Balth had left the room. 

"Petely?" Freddie asked. 

"Peter and Stanley. They need to sort out this awkward sexual tension."

"So you think they should talk about taking some time apart or something?"

"No. They should talk about dating. Balth's been in love with Pete for years."

"But it's against the rules." Freddie insisted. 

"Fred, don't you think it would be worth it to just get rid of this one rule. For flat harmony."

"Flat harmony comes from the rules. What happens when they break up? Or worse, what happens if we walk in on them having sex?"

"Fine. Fine. Maybe we should just let it sort itself out."

"It's been going okay so far."

"We're just prolonging the inevitable." Ben pointed out. 

"Then let's prolong it for as long as possible." Freddie walked through to her own room. 

"Hey, Balthy?" Peter said as Balthazar entered the flat later that day.

"Yeah." He paused mid-stride.

"Do you guys hate the noise or is it because I have other friends?"

"It's the noise. I don't care if you don't think the three of us are cool enough or whatever. I know you need your all round good guy title and a gang of misfits doesn't help."

"Balthazar." Peter protested.

"No, I get it. A Marlowe nerd, a control freak and a shy musical guy aren't people you want to be friends with. I'm okay with you having other friends and going out and living a life without us. Have as much sex as you want. Just don't be too loud about it."

"None of that's true. You're my best friend, man. I don't need a titl-"

"I just want you to be happy, Pete. If that means having a lot of sex, so be it. If hooking up with everything that moves" _except me_ , he thought, "makes you happy then hook up with however many people you want and I'll be happy for you." With that he walked into his bedroom, not wanting to say what he was actually feeling.

There was a knock on the door a few minutes later and Peter walked in without waiting. "You know I'm not like that, right?" He said to the boy lying on his bed in self pity. "I'm not someone who needs a title." He continued. "I don't care what other people think. I care what Fred thinks and Ben thinks and Bea thinks and you think but people outside you guys are nothing to me. I'll interact with them and, yeah, I'll fuck them but I don't care about them. I don't need people to think I'm an all round great guy. I'm okay with them thinking I'm lame or my friends are lame or I'm boring or what the fuck ever. I just hope you know that I'm nothing like the guy you just described me as. You more than anyone should know that."

"Yeah." Balthazar said quietly, not making eye contact. "Yeah I know. Sorry." He shut his eyes tight and hoped the love of his life would leave his room before he started crying.

Thankfully he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've changed my URL to one for this fandom. I'm now kind-of-a-lot. Come find me, I want some more LLL blogs to follow.


	4. The Punishment

Three of the flatmates sat on the couch, camera on. "Peter! Get the fuck in here!" Freddie shouted, frustration shooting through her veins.

"What?" He sighed as he walked into the room.

"You know what."

"Fine. What's my punishment?"

"Ben and I have been brainstorming. We want the punishment to fit the crime."

"So?" He prompted when she went quiet.

"So we think you should have to kiss Stan."

"Um, how does that fit?" Balthazar asked, having not been told beforehand. A blush rose on his cheeks.

"He kisses someone he wanted to so he has to kiss someone he doesn't want to."

"Yeah, sure. But don't you think he should have to kiss Ben instead?" Balthazar retreated into the couch cushions. 

"Why?"

"I don't know. He's just a little more... repulsive." Balthazar stated, followed by an immediate objection from his English friend. 

"Yeah, you're not supposed to enjoy your punishment." Peter said flirtatiously, eyeing up his best friend. Balthazar blushed and Peter added "I'm joking, of course. But I would prefer to kiss Balthy than Ben."

"Then that settles it. He kisses Ben." Balthazar said a little too enthusiastically. Of course he wanted to kiss Peter, he just wanted it to mean something too.

"There's no way I'm kissing him." Ben voiced. We all know where that mouth has been." Referencing when they'd heard _yeah, suck my dick_ from the mouth of his 'friend' the night before.

"Balth?" Freddie said pleadingly.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." He shifted awkwardly. There's no way the two friends could get though this without tension between them for at least a few weeks. "Just quick though, right? I don't have to make out with him or anything? 'Cos, you know, I don't really want to do it at all and maybe he doesn't deserve a punishment this bad."

"It could be worse." Peter laughed. "You seem like you're a good kisser. It took Damien a while to get over you, maybe I need to know what I've been missing."

"Can we just get this over with? You're not missing anything." Balth moved onto the floor to face Peter's punishment.

"I hereby announce that one Peter Adrian Donaldson has broken flat rule number five - no romantic relationships. Therefore, it is decided that he must touch lips with one Stanley Balthazar Jones."

Peter leaned in, making eye contact with his best friend and smiled.

Balthazar closed his eyes so he could pretend it was someone else. Peter followed his lead, leaning in further and parting his lips slightly.

Just as their lips were about to meet Balthazar pulled back. "No. I can't do this."

"Why?" Freddie asked, completely oblivious.

"I- um- think I might be sick, don't want to pass it on." He said quietly.

"You don't seem sick."

"Fine but- um- kissing is against the flat rules."

"Not if we give you permission."

"I just don't want to, alright?"

"What's the big deal?" Benedick queried, obviously rooting for their friends to get together. 

"Kissing is supposed to mean something, you know?" Balthazar looked away.

The group gave him an _awwww_.

"If Balthy doesn't want me to do it then I won't do it." Peter insisted. Balthazar turned back around and smiled. All of a sudden Peter grinned and quickly leaned in to peck his best friend's lips. "Right, done, punishment over." He grinned but grimaced and left the room.

Balthazar hung his head in shame and walked off to his own room.

"Maybe we made a mistake." Freddie said to Ben.

"You don't say." The statement came dripping with sarcasm.

"What do we do?"

"Hope it sorts itself out?"

"That's not going to happen any time soon."

* * *

Balthazar emerged from his room about an hour after the incident. He had a bag on his back and was texting. "I'm going to head to vegan Fred's for a while. Not sure how long." He said timidly.

"Stan, you don't need to go." Freddie insisted.

"I know. I just want to get out of here for a bit. I don't want Pete to feel uncomfortable or whatever."

"For Pete or for you?"

"Both of us. We need some space."

"Really?"

"I think it'd be best."

"Stanley, did you want to kiss Peter?"

"What? No!" He was a little too defensive whilst being his normal quiet self. "I just can't take all this anymore. The rules and the punishments are just too much."

"But they're here to help. You need to relax. Honestly, do you like Peter?"

Balthazar didn't answer, he just turned to leave. "Balth." He heard from behind him.

Of course he turned around at the sound of his best friend's voice. "Don't go."

He paused for a sec. "Then come with me." He finally said.

"I can't." Peters voice broke.

"Okay." Balthazar left while the three watched the door click shut.

"Fuck." Peter sighed.

"Pete-" Ben started but ran out of words.

"No big deal, right?"

"Why did you kiss him when he said he didn't want to? You basically drove him out of the flat." Freddie snapped.

"I just did, okay? I wanted to." He obviously wasn't using his filter, just saying what he honestly thought.

"You wanted to?" She asked.

"I- um- I guess."

"You know he likes you, right?" Ben asked.

"I thought so."

"Has done for years." Ben added.

"Really?" Peter was honestly shocked. "Do you think he still does?"

"I honestly don't know."


	5. The Reconciliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first ao3 post of 2016 - happy new year!
> 
> This chapter is longer than the first four combined! :O

Peter lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Had he ruined everything with his best friend? _Was kissing him really worth it?_

Ben knocked on his door and broke him from his daydream. "Pedro, can I-" he signaled towards the bed.

"Yeah, whatever." He sighed, sitting up against his headboard as Ben perched on the end.

"I know the rules state I don't have to ask this but I want to." He paused, looking down. "I caught everything that happened on camera. I was wondering of you'd be okay with me putting it on youtube."

Peter paused for a second. "Yeah, fine. No more harm can be done, right? You should ask Balthazar though."

"Quit moping and come watch a film with me and Freds while I edit."

"I just want to be alone." He groaned, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"You've known how he's felt for so long, why is it important now?" Ben's voice rose in that was it does every time he gets confused. 

"I don't know. It's just- we've- we've been dancing around each other since year 13 and I just figured it'd happen sooner or later. Now I know it won't."

"Why won't it?" His voice got higher still. 

"Did you not just see him storm out?" Peter ran his hand through his hair and pulled it down his forehead like he does whenever he gets frustrated. "And the rules forbid relationships, right?" He snapped, making it out to be Ben's fault.

"But you and Balth is something that is worth breaking the rules. It's meant to be."

"I don't know. I don't want to talk about it."

Ben left without another word.

* * *

Balthazar lay on the spare bed in Vegan Fred's house, staring at the ceiling. Maybe he was taking advantage of their new friend. Of course he knew Fred was into him. Maybe he could try and like him back. With a relationship with Peter out of the picture, maybe he just needed to move on. 

But who was he kidding? He wouldn't be getting over his best friend any time soon. He was going to need to find somewhere new to live. Fred would let him stay for as long as he wanted but Balthazar knew he'd have to flee the vegan nest with the 1000 thread count sheets sooner rather than later. He didn't want to lead the man on for longer than necessary and of course he couldn't go back to the flat. He was forced to consider the inevitability of seeing Peter again when he went back to get the rest of his stuff and decided to push it out of his mind for as long as possible.

When there was a knock on the door his head shot up, slightly hopeful that it would be Peter coming to declare his love or something else equally stupid. Fred opened the door with a cup of tea and a sandwich - all vegan of course - and sat it down on the bedside table. "Do you want to talk? You didn't really say why you came across. Did you fall out with one of your flatmates?"

"Something like that." Balthazar refused to make eye contact. 

"What happened?"

"Pete and I- um- it's stupid. I'll be fine. I just needed to get away for a bit."

"I know that you and Peter have this weird tension between the two of you-" Balthazar began to cut him off; to object; to defend himself. "No." Fred said before Balthazar got the chance. "It's obvious. You two radiate chemistry. If you want my opinion, you need to get over him. Move on because if it hasn't happened yet, it isn't going to. Find someone else because they'll let you be happy and not lead you on. Just think about it, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Balthazar finally looked up. "But I'm not sure I'll be able to move on fast." 

"Then take your time. Maybe what you need is right in front of you." He hesitated by the door. 

"No offense, but I don't see the two of us-" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. 

"I know. Was worth a try though, right?" Fred moved down slightly, a slight bush on his cheeks. 

"I guess. Sorry."

"No problem. I'll be out there if you need me." He gestured to the living room and left.

* * *

Peter reluctantly emerged from his room a couple of hours after he'd retreated into it, not feeling any better and not wanting to talk to Ben or Freddie. "He lives!" Ben greeted him with a smile and waved him over to the couch. 

"No- um- I need to go out." Peter looked at the floor, not moving from the threshold of his bedroom. 

"Remember not to break curfew." Freddie was quick to input. "And don't drink too much. I know you're not happy but drinking isn't the answer." Of course the redhead was more interested in her precious rules than his impending fallout with his friend.

"I'm not going to drink. I just need to deal with something." he grabbed his keys and walked towards the front door. "I'll see you later." 

"Pete, I swear on all that is holy, flamingos and Donna Noble that if you bring someone home with you I  _will_ walk into your room with the camera rolling and poor a mug of tea over your head." Ben threatened. "It's not what you need, right?"

"Fuck off." He sighed and left the flat. 

As soon as he heard the door click shut, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just standing up from his bed was exhausting, his brain was working too fast. At the point of getting up he wasn't sure whether he was going to go to a bar or going to go and find his best friend but talking to his flatmates helped him decide. He needed to talk to Balthazar. The obvious guess about where he was would be Vegan Fred's. He selfishly hoped Fred would have turned his friend away, meaning there would be distance between his crush and his competition. Realistically though, he knew that Fred would welcome him with open arms. What if Balthazar had gone over there with the intention of getting together with the vegan? Maybe he'd realised that he didn't like Peter anymore because Fred was a lot better for him. Or maybe he'd gone over for a booty call. He pushed the thought out of his mind and began towards where he'd no doubt find his friend. 

He almost turned back several times on his walk there, trying to think of reasons why going would be bad. Of course he came up with many but he tallied up pros and cons in his head and nothing could overrule the fact that he may lose his best friend if he didn't go and talk things out. So he went. He put his headphones in and tried to find music that didn't make him think of his piano playing friend - which proved more difficult than he imagined.

He finally reached the front door and the house he'd only visited once before, hoping he'd remembered the address right, and knocked.

Vegan Fred greeted him fast and, with reluctance, let Peter. Whether his reluctance came from an attempt to look after the boy hauled up in his spare room or an attempt to save Balthazar for himself, Peter couldn't work out. He was pointed in the direction of the spare room after he finally managed to say "is Balthy here?" Fred refused to crack a smile as Peter walked away and voiced a quiet "thanks."

There was a faint sound of a song he hadn't heard yet coming from he other side of the door and he froze, enchanted by the tune. It took a deep breath and a quick pep-talk for him to gain the courage to grab the door handle. 

"Hey." He finally walked into the room.

"Hi." Balthazar didn't look up from his guitar.

Peter just stood and looked at the boy for a few tense moments. "I'm an idiot."

"Yeah." He said, strumming a C just to drown out the apology that was about to flow from his own lips; an apology that didn't need to be said.  _I've done nothing wrong_. He had to remind himself.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Balthazar repeated.

"You going to look at me?" Peter took a step closer and Balthazar looked up. "Hear me out, yeah?"

"Okay." He shifted up so Peter could sit down next to him on the edge of the bed.

"I shouldn't have kissed you. I know you didn't want to. I just thought-" he hesitated. What had he thought? How could it have ended well? "I didn't think." He corrected. "I got caught in the moment, I was about to get to kiss you and then all of a sudden I wasn't and it just didn't sit right."

"Why?"

"Because I was about to kiss my best friend and it wasn't fair that I couldn't."

"Why?" Balthazar was practically a broken record.

"Because I wanted to." Peter suddenly felt a wave of confidence roll through him but looked down at his knees nonetheless.

"You wanted to?" Balthazar pulled his sleeves down over his hands and stared down at them.

"Of course."

"Why?"

"You're Balthy. You're amazing. You're adorable. You're talented. You're perfect. And- you know- you're gay. That's kinda useful." He tried to joke but failed.

Balthazar caught his eye and blushed. "Yeah?"

He made direct eye contact. "Yeah. I love you." 

"I kind of love you, too." Balthazar looked away again.

"Kind of?" Peter's hand found his best friend's chin and he lifted his head for them to make eye contact.

"Kind of a lot, yeah." He drew closer and closed his eyes as their lips met. The kiss was quick and chaste and he promptly buried his head in Peter's shoulder, holding him closer that he ever had before.

"So we can- you know- be together?" Peter finally uttered.

"As long as it's not a casual thing." 

 _How can he still think this is casual?_ Peter asked himself after Balthazar's timid response. "Never with you." They kissed again.

"Then, yeah. Let's be together." Peter had never seen his best friend blush so much.

Peter lay back on the bed with a sigh and a smile. After Balthazar stared at him for a moment, he fell back too, close enough for their arms and thighs to be touching. Peter shuffled closer and moved so he was partially laying on top of his boyfriend, head resting on his shoulder as Balthazar reached around and wrapped his arm over Peter's own shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." Peter said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. 

"Don't be."

"I am. That can't change. I messed up." He shifted, leaning up on his elbow to look at his newly-confirmed-boyfriend. 

"But you fixed it."

"I could have just told you how I feel. I didn't have to force you into it."

"It's not that simple, right? I could have told you how I felt too but I didn't."

"I know but I didn't exactly make it easy for you. I didn't let you know how I felt. You didn't know I liked you too."

"You worked it out, huh? How long did it take you?" Balthazar smirked.

"Longer than it should. Fuck, you wrote a song about me and I thought you were just joking around."

"Yeah, that was pretty stupid. I literally told the world that I thought you were perfect and I wanted to hold your hand and you thought I was writing you a dating ad."

"Maybe I just didn't want to consider the fact I might be into you and ruin it."

"You'd already told me you were bi though. What could have happened to ruin it?"

"I don't know. I guess dating you would have meant I'd have to come out and I wasn't ready. I wouldn't want to keep you a secret but I wouldn't want to tell anyone I wasn't straight so the easy thing to do was ignore it and date girls."

"Then you're an idiot. I would rather you hide me than date someone else."

"I can't change anything, okay? If I could, I would. I would go back to- like- year nine and I'd ask you out and everything would have gone a lot smoother. You'd have stopped me messing the whole Hero thing up because, of course, you knew I was being stupid and everything would have just been better. But I can't so let's just start fresh, right?"

"No." Balthazar sat up abruptly.

"What?"

"I don't want to start fresh. We need to remember everything that happened in year 13 and I needed to pine over you since year nine and you needed to be closeted for so long. It all made this happen." He gestured between them. "It wouldn't have happened like this if we'd have dated since school."

"No, it would have happened better."

"No, it wouldn't. Pete, can you imagine me dating Pedro?" Peter flinched at the nickname. "Pedro wouldn't have been a good boyfriend. You needed to mess up with Hero to develop into Peter. Peter is a much better guy. I see a future with Peter. The break-up between Balthazar and Pedro would be inevitable.  So I'm glad secondary school was messed up because it lead us here. I don't care that I had to spend so long watching you hook up with so many people, I mean it would have been nice not to have to but it helped you become the guy you are. And I'm in love this guy. I've loved you for years but _this_ version of you is the version I'm _in love_ with."

"So you're okay with me being a screw up?"

"As weird as it sounds, yeah."

"You're insane." Peter laughed. 

"Maybe." Balthazar look down at the bed, where his guitar still lay, so his boyfriend wouldn't see the blush. 

"What were you playing?" Peter sat up and handed Balthazar the instrument. 

"Just something I was working on. It's not very good. I started it like an hour and a half ago."

"Play it for me?" 

"No."

"Why?"

"It's embarrassing." Balth tried to put the guitar back down. 

"You should never be embarrassed around me." 

"But it's really bad."

"No, it's not. You wrote it so I'll love it."

"I really don't want to, Pete. Just leave it, yeah?"

"I guess I have to. Look what happened last time I did something you didn't want me to." He laughed, hoping it wasn't too early to joke about their kiss. "How about you play  _An Ode_?"

"Fine." Balthazar smiled. "It's better with a piano though." He gestured towards the guitar. 

"I'll love it however it sounds." Peter said pleadingly. 

"Okay." Balthazar's blush grew. 

" _It seems it’s about time_  
_That these words were spoken_  
_With all these people_  
_Saying that they’re hoping_  
_For this all round great guy_  
_To have someone by his side_  
_Well that picture would look alright_  
_Cause he’s Pedro, he’s anybody’s type_  
  
_From what you’ve told me_  
_He seems like he could be_  
_The one for you_  
_I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way_  
_About the both of you_  
  
_Would he look good next to you_  
_Would his hand fit in yours_  
_I bet it would_  
_Better than any other guys ever could_  
_This is an ode to Pedro_  
  
_I reckon he’ll find someone_  
_And I’ve got no idea who it’ll be_  
_Out of everyone_  
  
_Known him this long_  
_Never seen him do no wrong-_ "

Peter cut him off by joining their lips. The kiss lasted longer than their previous ones combined as Peter's tongue found its way into Balthazar's mouth. Balthazar groaned without intention and pulled away to blush straight away. 

"You're adorable." Peter's hand found Balthazar's cheek.

"Shut up." He awkwardly chuckled and buried his face in Peter's shoulder.

"I'm only telling it how it is." He ran his hand through his boyfriend's hair, messing it up.

"Hey!" He pulled back to straighten it out. "Don't mess with the hair. That's a relationship-ender for me."

"Noted." Peter pulled him back in for another kiss. "What if it's during sex?" He tentatively asked when he pulled back. 

Balthazar laughed and looked down. "I guess I can make an exception for that."

"Good. Because I'm going to mess it up so much."

"This isn't just for, um, sex," he said awkwardly, "is it?" Needing confirmation once more.

"Don't be an idiot. This is the last time I'm going to tell you that this isn't a casual thing, okay?"

"Okay."

"Why don't you finish the song?" Peter lay back down. 

"Or I could play you the new one?" He said quietly and uncertainly. 

"Yes." Peter voiced a bit too enthusiastically. 

"I just have bits so don't expect a lot."

"I'll take anything I can get."

Balthazar strummed a few notes and began. 

_"I've been a fish out of the water,_

_ever since the night I saw ya_

_I've been swimming on dry land_

_Feeling like a drowning man In the sand"_

He paused. "Then I've got:

_You caught me hook, line, and sinker,_

_When you weren't even thinking_

_You just didn't wanna know,_

_But I made you tell me so,_

_You had to tell me no,_

_'Cos I had to know."_

He took a breath and looked up to see Peter's reaction. "And I'm thinking of starting or ending with:

_You're the only fish in the sea,_

_For me, for me_

_I thought that you were fishing for me,_

_Maybe, maybe."_

"Is- is it about me?" Peter finally said.

"Yeah." he said  with slight reluctance. "I- um- used your analogy from the Team Love Gods video."

"I thought I recognised it. I love it."

"You have to say that."

"Don't be stupid. Of course I love it."

"It still needs rearranging and finishing so hopefully it'll get better. That is if you want me to finish it. I can leave it If It's too personal."

"No. finish it. I like having something about me out there. It's like you staking you claim on me."

Balthazar blushed. "These aren't the only ones about you either."

"Which other one then?"

"Not one anyone has heard. Well, not beyond mum, dad and the twins."

"Why didn't you put it on Ben's channel with the rest?"

"It was really bad and too personal."

"Play it for me now. Nothing can be too personal anymore."

"Promise you won't laugh. It was like early in year 12. It might have been year 11."

"I promise." Peter sealed the promise with a kiss. 

Balthazar adjusted his guitar on his knee and cleared his throat.  

" _I wanna say yes but I've gotta say no_  
_Is that the time? I really have to go_  
_I can't deal with anymore awkward situations_  
_If this works out do you think we could_  
_Settle down together in a nice neighbourhood_  
_Probably not._

_Because I'm only sixteen_  
_I'm only sixteen years old_  
_And this love won't last long_  
_If what I've been told is right_  
_But we've still got tonight._

_I don't think about you every day_  
_But if I'm walking you're on my mind part the way_  
_Do I love you?_  
_It's something that I've wondered about_  
_And if we tried I bet we could find out_  
_If I love you._

_So do you wanna go out?_  
_Do you wanna go out with me?_  
_Do you wanna come round mine for dinner,_  
_meet my folks and family?_  
_Do you wanna go out_  
_Or come home with me?_

_Its pointless_  
_These games we play_  
_Its pointless_  
_Because they always end the same._

_I wanna say yes, I'm not gonna say no_  
_Fuck the time I don't want to go_  
_I think I love you_  
_If this works out, if it really could,_  
_Would we settle down in a nice neighbourhood?_  
_Despite the previous, probably not._ "

Halfway through the song he'd made eye contact with Peter and it still hadn't dropped. 

"Did sixteen year old Balthazar want to preposition me with sex?" Peter teased.

"Shut up." He looked down again.

"It's kinda hot if I'm being honest."

"Yeah?" Their mouths drew closer.

"Yeah. And given that I've already met your folks and family, I guess all that's left is going home with you." Peter raised his eyebrows. 

"Shut up." Balthazar stood up and took Peter's hand in his own, pulling his boyfriend up to stand next to him. "Let's go home, you dork." Balthazar smiled and grabbed the bag he'd brought with him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this was okay. It was long awaited and much needed.  
> It's weird posting for such a small fandom in comparssion to my other OTP. As shallow as it sounds, I'm not used to not getting comments. So please let me know if you're enjoying this. 
> 
> There's one chapter left but I'm not sure how long it'll take me to write because smut isn't my strong suit. I'll see what I can do. 
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	6. The Noises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a sex scene before deciding the fandom is too innocent and rewriting it to make it fluffy.

Finding the keyhole proved more difficult that night than ever before. With Balthazar pushed up against the front door next to the handle, Peter used his right hand to fumble around and unlock it. Their lips were together and had been intermittently since they left Fred's, the shorter boy pulling his boyfriend in close and pecking his lips every hundred metres as they walked home hand in hand. Right now the kisses were not quick, chaste pecks, they were long and slow and passionate. The two were grinding against each other when Peter finally managed to open the door.

He momentarily pulled away and stumbled a little in the dark room. He dropped Balthazar's bag, which had been hung over his shoulder, on the couch and led his boyfriend through to his bedroom, lips touching once more. It hit Balthazar that maybe they should take it to his own bedroom, away from where Peter had had so many guys before him, but he was too caught up in the moment to do anything about it. So he let himself be pushed backwards onto the bed as the bedroom door slammed shut. Being quiet was the last thing on his mind and, if the noises Peter was making were anything to go by, it was the last thing on his boyfriend's mind too. The shirt Peter was wearing over his t-shirt was pulled off after Balthazar made quick work of undoing the buttons. Then Balth felt a tugging at the bottom of his jumper and he raised his arms, allowing Peter to pull it over his head. There was a thud as they kicked their shoes off and they hit the ground in a messy pile at the bottom of the bed. 

Peter wasn't lying when he said he was going to make Balthazar's hair a mess. His fingers had been running through it as much as possible since their lips joined and it was well and truly messed up. Balthazar couldn't find it within himself to care though. If he was being honest, he liked it a little too much. In return, his own hands found the back of Peter's head and he threaded his fingers through the blond strands, tangling them up and leaving them there. 

Hands once again found his waist, resting on where his open shirt had risen up, revealing a glimpse of pale skin. He leaned up and slipped it off so all that remained between him and Peter was two thin, cotton t-shirts. Peter's was the first to hit the floor, landing on top of the shirt he had already thrown over the edge, and Balthazar's was soon to follow. However, it only got as far as his head before it got stuck, creating a barrier between their mouths. Peter sat back on his calves, chuckling as Balthazar wrestled with the white material.

It was in the moment that Peter leaned into a more intimate distance to help out that his door flew open and revealed Freddie, Benedick, the camera and a cup of steaming tea, complete with bedhead and pajamas.

"What the fuck, guys?" Peter said a little too loudly. "Bit of privacy wouldn't go amiss."

"We have rules, Pete. And you know this isn't what you need. You need to suck it up and deal with whatever's going on with you and Stanley, not go out and find some other guy." Freddie was quick to voice.

"You know nothing." Peter retorted. "Get the fuck out."

"I should be saying that to your friend here." Ben finally inputted, walking closer with the cup of tea in his hand.

Balthazar wriggled and finally freed his head, peaking out just the moment the camera zoomed in on his face.

"Oh." Was all Ben said.

"What?" Freddie asked, unable to see who was beneath Peter because Ben was in the way.

He took a step back and Balthazar blushed. "He- um- sucked it up and dealt with whatever's going on with him and Stanley." Came his quiet voice after a few moments of intense eye contact and silence with Freddie. 

"I don't know what to say now." She said hesitantly. They'd just seen their two best friends about to have sex, how were they supposed to react? She took a hesitant step backwards towards the threshold of the bedroom. 

"You could not say anything and just leave." Peter snapped. 

"Pete." Balthazar said sympathetically, resting his hands on Peter's forearms to calm him down. "Don't get mad at her."

"She walked into my room without permission when I was quite clearly not alone and told me off for living my life the way I wanted. Why the fuck shouldn't I be mad?"

"Because you're friends. Because she only did it because she wants what's best for you." Balthazar said calmly. 

"So she has a right to keep tabs on me?" Peter's temper had dipped a little as he caught a glimpse of his boyfriend's blue eyes. 

"Yeah." He said simply. "It's what we do, right?"

"Right." He sighed, looking across at his other roommates. "I'm sorry." He finally said. 

"Apology accepted." Freddie said monotonously. 

"Yeah. We forgive you." Ben said alongside her, taking a sip from the cup of tea. 

"Thanks." Peter said, looking away. 

"And thanks for not tipping that over my head, man." Balthazar tried to lighten the mood as he looked at the Doctor Who mug against his British friend's lips. 

Ben smiled. "You're lucky you pulled your head out when you did." 

The camera, which has been discarded and turned off not long after the realisation that Balthazar was the culprit, was turned to face Ben. "Alright Benaddicts, I guess we need to think of a punishment for Balthy and Pedro. Leave your ideas in the comments and you'll see what happens. I'll see you next week. That's a promise." 

"Now get out!" Peter shouted, throwing a pillow towards his friends. 

"Fine, fine. Just don't be too loud about it, alright?" Ben tried to reason as he shut the door behind them. 

"Yeah, moment ruined." Balthazar shuffled awkwardly underneath where Peter was perched on his calves. He leaned up and kiss the other boy's lips before pulling away and leaning up against the headboard. 

"Mother Ben, always the cockblocker." Peter sighed, moving to sit next to his boyfriend. 

"Maybe it was for the best." Balthazar said after a few moments of tense silence. 

"Why?"

"We were kinda going a bit fast. It's been less than an hour since we became an item and we were about to have sex. I just think we should maybe slow it down."

"If that's what you want." Peter intertwined their fingers, mentally singing  _does his hand fit in yours? I bet it would._ "But I don't think it's too fast. We've been friends so long, we know everything about each other, we love each other, how can this be too fast?"

"I just think we should deal with the concept of _us_."

"Wouldn't you rather deal with that?" Peter gestured towards his boyfriends half hard dick showing though his tight underwear.

"Pete." Balthazar insisted.

"I know." Peter shifted away from his boyfriend slightly to avoid temptation. "I don't want to force you into anything. It all has to mean something, right?" Peter referred back to when Balthazar refused to kiss him.

"Don't make me sound like a prude." The smaller boy looked down and blushed.

"Fuck. That's not what I was trying to do, Balthy. I promise I'm not judging you for this. I respect you in fact."

"Yeah?" The blush stayed as he locked eyes with his boyfriend.

"Yeah. If you don't want to- you know- that's fine."

"You make it sound like I want us to be celibate. I just think we should talk first."

"Yeah. I know. Where do we start?"

"From the beginning." Balthazar said tentatively.

"Which beginning?" Peter smiled.

"Um-"

"How about we start with _An Ode_?" Peter suggested.

"Or we could not." Balth laughed. "That wasn't exactly a great time for me."

"For me either." Peter reached out to thread their fingers together. "I'm was confused."

"I know. It just hurt that you said it was hilarious."

"I was a dick for that. I know. I should have said it was brilliant even if I didn't want to admit I might have feelings for you. It's just very me, you know? Turning something into a joke because I'm uncomfortable. And in this case it turned into a very heterosexual joke."

"I think you've redeemed yourself though." Balthazar reassured. "Moving on." He said enthusiastically after a few minutes of intense eye contact. "The apology party?"

"Bypassing the bit where I fucked up? Is that smart?"

"I think so."

"I think we should talk about it. I want to know what you really thought about me at the time."

"I was pissed. Just like the rest of them. We all know Hero wouldn't do that but you made a scene anyway. You apologised but it was really stupid of you to do it in the first place. What also hurt about those few weeks is the fact our friends just assumed I'd side with you, not Hero. I realised they all thought so little of me. Like they were only friends with me because you were and assumed that I couldn't be my own person. I hated that they didn't seem to care about me until I made a point of being mad at you."

"That's not true. They were all friends with you. Just because I introduced you, doesn't mean they didn't want to be friends with you. We all know you were the third nicest friend." Peter smirked.

"Third?" Balthazar raised his eyebrows.

"Ursula and Hero." He simply stated.

"Good point. I might have been third nicest but it doesn't mean I was liked any more."

"Don't be an idiot. You were always just so reserved that you just blended in. We still all loved you."

"I guess. Still doesn't change the fact they all thought I would follow you like a lost puppy. Yeah, you were my best friend, but that didn't mean you were my idol or anything."

"I know that. They all know that. So stop it with the self-pity."

"Yeah, okay."

"So tell me why you were idiotic enough to forgive me."

"I wasn't idiotic. I wasn't lying in _An Ode_ when I said I'd seen you do no wrong. One mistake doesn't make you a bad person. It was a huge fucking mistake but it wasn't unforgivable. And you did everything you could to make up for it. So I forgave you." He said simply.

"I don't deserve that."

"Don't keep apologising. It's water under the bridge. That was Pedro. You're Peter now."

"Peter isn't exactly a saint. Do you not remember the first few months here?"

"You don't have to be a saint to be a good man. Just be more like the man you were made to be."

"But my heart was never pure." Peter quoted his boyfriend's favourite song back at him with a smile.

"Just shut up, okay? You're forgiven and you're a better man now."

"You've made me better." Peter self consciously admitted.

"Maybe." Balthazar blushed and leaned over to stop the compliments by joining their lips.

"I'm sorry for making you hear me have so much sex recently."

"Should be."

"And that time you saw me when no one else was home was the last time I tried picking someone up. I didn't even have sex with them. Once I noticed you I sent them home and collapsed onto the couch. I realised that I wasn't going to be satisfied without you and other guys weren't going to make it better."

"That's another fear I have about being with you." Balthazar admitted timidly.

"What?"

"You've got so much more experience than me."

"You think that matters to me?"

"I don't know. I just thought th-"

"You thought wrong. I want you, Balthy. I don't care what way I get you as long as I get you. Sex means fuck all to me."

"Wait so-"

"No." Peter cut him off. "I don't mean that I just want sex for pleasure. I mean that it's not important that I get it in the first place. I'll take whatever you let me have and if sex isn't one of those things, I don't mind."

"Well sex is one of those things. I just don't want to be compared or anything."

"I'm not going to compare you to anyone. But I know it's going to be better with you because I've never done it in love before. Like- I don't know- I don't think of sex as a purely biological thing but it has been until now. Everyone else has been a means to an end."

"Promise?"

"You're adorable." His fingers delicately found Balthazar's chin and he pulled his head to join his gaze. "I promise." He sealed the promise with a kiss.

Peter shifted awkwardly and untucked the sheets from underneath him, bringing them over his legs and allowing Balthazar to shuffle underneath too. "You staying in here?" Peter asked as it grew quiet.

"Of course." They both slipped down further into the cotton, Balthazar laying his head on Peter's chest. Sure, they had more to talk about, but it could wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. In a startling turn of events, I've decided to turn this into a series because I have a load of ideas so I hope you stick around.  
> Comments and kudos appreciated but not compulsory. Nor is finding me on tumblr @kind-of-a-lot but it's highly recommended. ;)


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